The publication of transcripts from a series of secretly taped conversations in which the Countess of Wessex and her business partner Murray Harkin made indiscreet and outspoken comments reveal opinions on everything from their own business practices to members of the royal family and public figures.

The conversations, in two separate meetings at London's Park Lane Hilton and Dorchester hotels with undercover journalists posing as a rich Arabs, begin with references to drugs and the legal status of cannabis.

Mr Harkin says the ban on cannabis is "crazy", adding: "We've got a client in Amsterdam... when people have been in the coffee shops there they have to throw it all away before they get on the plane to come back to England."

He admits: "I don't do lots of drugs, but you know, the odd line of coke I quite like and trying, you know, trying to find it, it's just a nightmare: America, apparently it's dead easy."

When asked if he has taken ecstasy, he replies: "Not for a couple of years. It was really terrible stuff... the problem with it is the after effects, it's like three or four days later."

The conversation about drugs is interspersed with a discussion on Thailand in which Mr Harkin recommends some "really sleazy" bars in Bangkok and then offers to organise a gathering of "nice boys" for his client in London.

He says: "I can invite some very interesting people... discreet nice gentlemen that he would like.

"How young does he like? Does he like Asian boys? And how young? Are we talking about 20, 21, 25, 28?"

Chat then apparently moves on to the cost of rent boys, with Mr Harkin confiding: "In India, I gave somebody like two weeks' pay."

Earlier, Mr Harkin is quizzed about the Earl of Wessex's sexuality, to which he replies: "There have been rumours for years about Edward. I'm a great believer that there's no smoke without fire... he's not what you expect."

When conversation turns to business Mr Harkin agrees with the suggestion that his partner gives special kudos to RJH's ventures in a similar way that Princess Diana's involvement in projects did, adding: "Except she's a lot more intelligent."

He suggests the countess might go to Dubai, and "there's potential for Edward as well", adding that they have already made a visit together: "Between you and me they went to one of our clients... they'd gone for the weekend. So again, it's like she's bought into it and she got Edward involved."

Discussing what the countess could do to promote clients, Mr Harkin explains: "We've got to be very careful... it's just being clever about it. If for instance the two of you were photographed together by the media in Dubai, it would not be a problem. Her doing the photo shoot would be. The way the photographs are, that's an advertising shot."

He then explains how the problem can be circumvented: "One easy way you may want to do that is to take over a press trip in which she takes the press, and at that point you make the announcement that she's going to be looking after your project. We do this all the time, Sophie and I."

He later adds: "You've recognised the fact by taking on her company that it's going to have an impact. There's no doubt that you're gonna ride off the back of it and you shouldn't be doing it [laughs]."

During a third meeting at the Dorchester, Mr Harkin brings along the countess.

Early conversation revolves around the countess's public image and the press: "When we got engaged they were very keen to put me on to the empty pedestal that had been left by Princess Diana... and I don't think I could have coped with that level of pressure or expectation. Everyone said 'gosh, doesn't she look like Diana?'

"Then they thought: 'This isn't going to be much good because she is not going to be turning up every day in different outfits, opening children's homes,' you know. I do some of that but not as much as they'd like."

Moving on to discuss sport, particularly shooting and blood sports, she expresses support for the pro-hunting lobby and brands Tony Blair as "ignorant" when it comes to countryside issues.

"That's why we've got problems with our prime minister because he doesn't understand the countryside... he's ignorant of the countryside. His wife is even worse, she hates the countryside. She hates it! And because the popular vote is in within cities, he's going to go with that."

In a further attack on Mr Blair, the countess says: "When Diana died Tony Blair came out and he gave this completely impassioned supposedly off-the-cuff speech. I know it wasn't off-the-cuff at all because I know who wrote it. He almost did the Bill Clinton, we call him President Blair because he thinks he is. That's his style."

She goes on to brand the recent budget as "a load of pap" designed purely for election purposes. "It's all promises," she says. "And the increase in everybody's taxes is something frightening. Since the Labour party came to power, the man in the street is paying something like an additional 40% in tax. They've snuck in so much through the back door."

Meanwhile, she expresses sympathy for William Hague whom she describes as "very intelligent" with "real vision".

But she dismisses his election chances, saying: "He's got this awful kind of way he talks, like that all the time [mimics Hague] he sounds like a puppet unfortunately."

The focus then shifts back to the royal family and the countess defends the Prince of Wales against a suggestion that he is "too formal".

"He's great fun, he really is. For instance, with William and Harry he's so laid back, I mean what you don't see is when the Prince of Wales is messing around and being funny and silly, he's a different person."

She adds: "He's a man who's always been ahead of his years all the way along. He was damned, a complete quack. People laughed at him for his views on architecture, but now they're starting to take notice."

On the subject of Charles and Camilla, the countess admits the couple were unpopular at first but says Camilla is slowly being accepted.

The countess later admits that it can prove difficult to juggle her professional and royal interests: "...I'm not there to endorse other people's products on a commercial basis, that's not what it's about."

However, she then adds: "If anybody ever gets some kind of additional profile or benefit from being involved with us because of my situation, that's an unspoken benefit. It's not something anybody promises, it's just something that occurs.

"Most of our clients do end up having extra mentions in the press, or, you know, additional profile.

"For instance, in your own country when people find we're working for you, the chances are you'll get people interested: 'Oh gosh, they've employed the Countess of Wessex's PR company'."